Art Division

Excellence Award

Succubus

Peter TILG

Other [Austria]

Succubus is a sound sculpture composed of steel bands that sway, shake and make sounds like living beings. The movements of each single band appear regular and systematic, but as an ensemble, the sculpture is an unexpectedly organic entity. It is only via computer code and electromagnetism that an external stimulus is sent to each component of the ensemble, thereby breathing life into the structure. The total length of the ensemble is approximately 1.7 meters.

Profile

Born in Vienna, Austria, 1979. Since 1999, he has been working as a freelance in creating various screen designs, including those for online use or movie, as well as programming. He started studying media art and digital art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna in 2004, and graduated in 2010. He is currently interested in physically converting digital data and algorithms by utilizing the characteristic traits of generic materials.

( 2010 )

Award Reason

The beginning of life expressed through automatic controlsThe organic motions, light metallic sounds and controlled movements of this sound sculpture create the feeling which one see a foam moving. In folklore, “Succubus” is a female demon who eats dreams. Through the means of automatic controls, this work gives audiences a bizarre sense of time, as if the process of devouring of dreams is intuitively under way. Despite the fact that electromagnetic controls are used to set in motion the components of the system, consideration is paid to avoid giving a mechanical impression. This and the fact that the work is seen as an expression of the beginning of life achieved through the fascinating synthesis of various properties of the material is what makes Succubus a truly amazing sound sculpture. From a modeling perspective, as well, the work is created with much care and attention to detail, and makes a very favorable impression. However, one weak point in comparison with the winner of the Grand Prize, Cycloïd-E, is that as a modeling déjà vu, the sound sculpture appeared somewhat compact and tiny in terms of expressiveness.